Toyota Crisis

? What has Toyota done right in handling the crisis?

I find that Toyota did the right thing by acknowledging that there was a serious problem that would place consumers in a dangerous position. Although Toyota did not react as quickly as I would have like them to, I find that once they determined which vehicles malfunctioned and what the root cause of the issue was, I was pleased that they called in for reinforcement by utilizing a seasoned retiree to aid in a thorough investigation of what went wrong. As with any company, the way they acknowledge their faults is by expressing accountability for their issues. Toyota was obligated to inform consumers of the problem and to explain to consumers what their plans are to mitigate the risks associated with the problem. I feel as though Toyota expressed an overall concern for the safety of the consumers and took the necessary precautions to assess the root of the problem. Toyota's immediate response to recall several thousand faulty vehicles was another risk mitigation technique that any major corporation would have considered. For example, Tylenol recalled their pain and arthritis medication as a result of a poisonous chemical found in the pill, thus causing the company to put the consumers' best interest ahead of profitability. Dodge on the other hand, has the same issue as Toyota, I was driving one of their vehicles and have encountered unintentional acceleration and have yet to hear complaints of this issue from Dodge or consumers, which may result in an ongoing problem if no one complains about it, however if there were no consumer complaints than perhaps Dodge already alleviated the problem early on. In essence, Toyota should considered consumer complaints early in order to prevent insurmountable backlash. This recall has cost the company a significant amount of revenue and could have been prevented if they decided to handle the problem in the beginning stages before it elevated to this level.

? What Toyota has done wrong in handling the crisis?

Since the start of the crisis, Toyota tried to minimize the severity of the issue, they kept the issue under wraps even though consumers expressed their concern of how their lives were threatened. There was one instance where a California man complained about his vehicle, a Toyota Prius, he was having difficulty with the accelerator on the freeway, to make a long story short he was unable to stop his vehicle, law enforcement were strategically trying to stop the vehicle before something drastic happens, needless to say no one was hurt that day. Toyota underwent an investigation and gave a public relations statement that their vehicle was in no way responsible for the mishap, the company shifted the blame to the consumer stating that it was a ploy for the consumer to gain his 15 minutes of fame.